


The Five-Minute Breakup

by NorwegianPunkFan



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Messa - Freeform, Teriah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 07:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorwegianPunkFan/pseuds/NorwegianPunkFan
Summary: Without a kidnapping to stop her, Mariah breaks up with Tessa at Crimson Lights. The aftermath brings heartache, deep remorse and a surprising brush with danger. Will Mariah realize she’s made a horrible mistake? Can she see the good in Tessa again before it’s too late?  Mariah and Tessa just might find that five minutes can change everything.





	1. I can't do this anymore

**Author's Note:**

> I always wondered what would’ve happened if Tessa hadn’t been kidnapped, so I figured other Teriah fans might've wondered, too. Here's my alternate version of events. Enjoy!

_I have to break up with Tessa._ Mariah just kept repeating it in her mind like a mantra. She told Kyle she was going to do it, and now the time had come. But saying she was going to break up with Tessa and actually breaking up with Tessa were two VERY different things.

Mariah knew this would be brutal, but she told herself it was for the best. That she should just end it and be done with it. Let go. Move on. And then…

Tessa sashayed through the door of Crimson Lights looking as radiant as ever. The girl was pure poetry in motion. Like a song that had come to life. Tessa glanced around the room, her bangs falling gracefully as she turned.  She kept scanning until her eyes locked with Mariah’s. Those warm, alluring eyes. Mariah nearly threw her plan out the window at the sight of those eyes alone.

But Mariah knew what she had to do. She’d made her decision. Hadn’t she? Yes. She’d decided. A decision had been made. She was going to break up with Tessa…maybe. No! Definitely. She was going to tell Tessa this wasn’t working. That she couldn’t do this anymore. Tomorrow, she’d tell her. Or maybe the next day. Or maybe she’d just get around to it eventually. At some point. Possibly. Or…not.

Mariah fought the urge to scream in frustration. She settled for giving herself a silent pep talk instead. _Stop being so pathetic, Mariah. You can do this. She betrayed you. She lied to you. She blackmailed your freaking mom. Tessa is just a woman. A gorgeous, talented, spectacular goddess of a woman, but still…she’s just a woman. Now suck it up and dump her. TONIGHT. Right now._

“Hey,” Tessa said, sliding in the booth and pushing her bangs aside. She looked at Mariah for a second but then averted her gaze to fiddle with her fingernails.

Mariah wondered if Tessa knew what she was about to do. They’d always had a strong connection, even when they weren’t on the greatest terms. She thought Tessa could probably feel the breakup vibes she was giving off, but she couldn’t be sure. Nor was Mariah sure she could actually go through with this.

“So...you wanted to see me,” Tessa said, still looking down at her hands.

“Yeah, I…uh…I think we should talk.”

“Okay.”

Mariah just sat there like a fool captivated by the love of her life – her one true love that she was about to dump. Wait, dump? Why was she doing that again? _Oh yeah. Blackmail. Lies. That stupid teddy bear. Got it._

Tessa must’ve figured Mariah wouldn’t say anything without a push because she spoke up first. “What did you want to talk about?” Her resigned body language and somber tone suggested she already knew the answer.

“This wasn't an easy decision,” Mariah said, gathering her courage. It was the understatement of the century. “But I feel like…I don’t know if we can—or if I can…what I—what I mean to say is…” Mariah felt the words tumbling out, but try as she might, she couldn't get a grip on them.

“You’re leaving me,” Tessa said simply.

“I just…I can’t do this anymore.”

Panic rose in Mariah’s chest the second the statement left her mouth. This was suddenly like an out-of-body experience. Mariah felt dissociated from this crazy redhead in the booth, who was saying things she didn’t want to say and doing things she didn’t want to do. Not deep down. Not in her heart of hearts.

Tessa stayed quiet and kept her head lowered, so Mariah – or this strange body-snatcher who was ruining everything against Mariah’s will – continued. She felt obligated to end the awkward silence.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t make it work. I wanted to. I really did. I wish I knew how to move past this, but…”

“No, it’s okay,” Tessa said, finally looking up at Mariah. Her eyes were filled to the brim, ready to burst with a flood of heartbroken tears. “I get it. And you’re right. I think we should break up.”

“You do?” Mariah was surprised and a bit hurt, although she knew she shouldn’t be. This is what she wanted. Or what she thought she wanted earlier. Or at least what had to be done. Wasn’t it? How the hell was she supposed to know?

“I don’t deserve someone like you. I’m so sorry, Mariah. I just want you to be happy.” Tessa offered a sad smile as she placed her hand on Mariah’s and leaned forward. Falling tear drops splashed on the table as she moved – wet little reminders of how much Tessa cared.

“I want you to be happy, too,” Mariah said, reveling in Tessa’s tender touch. She instinctively flipped her hand to clasp the one above hers, but Tessa pulled away.

“So you’ll probably want to come get your stuff.” Tessa turned stoic as she wiped more tears with her palm. “If you want to wait until Sunday, I should be out of the apartment by then. You can just give your key to the landlord.”

“You’re moving?” Mariah should’ve known that, but she’d never really stopped to think about the fact that breaking up with Tessa meant saying goodbye forever. Now that she was thinking about it, there was that panic again – a harsh tightening in her chest each time she inhaled.

“Well…yeah. I came back here to be with you. There’s no reason for me to stay when everyone else in this town hates me. Or I guess everyone now. I’m sure you hate me.” Tessa’s gaze returned downward as she toyed with the table’s edge.

“That’s not true. I already told you…I could never hate you. I just can’t be with someone when there’s no trust, Tessa.”

“I know.” Tessa shut her eyes for a moment and sighed. “I’m sorry I broke it. That’s all I ever seem to do. Break things. Trust, promises, hearts…I broke us, and I’ll regret that for the rest of my life.”

Mariah didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything at all. She just stared her beautiful, damaged girlfriend. Make that ex-girlfriend. _Damn._ She wasn’t _her_ Tessa anymore. She’d be someone else’s Tessa sooner or later, and the thought of that made Mariah’s blood boil.

Jealousy burned through Mariah over some imaginary person in her head. Someone who might love Tessa and accept her flaws in a way she couldn’t. Someone who could get past the bad and focus on the good.

And there was _so much good_. There had to be or else it wouldn’t hurt like this. It wouldn’t be killing Mariah inside, and she wouldn’t feel like she was making the worst mistake she’d ever made. Her heart was begging her to stop the madness, but her head insisted it’d hurt more to stay. That Tessa would inevitably betray her again, and they’d be right back where they started.

But still…this was Tessa. _Tessa Porter_. The woman she loved _._ The only person who’d ever truly touched her soul and made her feel desired. Mariah’s heart fought desperately for a victory over her mind and the common sense that controlled it. Kevin once told her that love defies logic, so perhaps reuniting with a lying blackmailer wasn’t as insane as it seemed.

Mariah eventually opened her mouth to say something. She didn’t quite know what, but she never got the chance anyway. It was Tessa’s turn to cut into the painful silence.

“So I guess this is goodbye. I just—I just want you to know that I love you. I’m always going to love you,” Tessa said, her voice cracking with despair. “I’m sorry. I should go.” Tessa grabbed her purse and bolted for the door, determined to avoid breaking down in front of Mariah.

A deep pang of regret hit the pit of Mariah’s stomach. _No, no, no, no, no…_ What had she done? She couldn’t let Tessa just get up and walk out of her life…could she? Mariah’s brain obviously didn’t have the answers she needed, so she was going to follow her heart. She was going to follow it right out into the parking lot and tell Tessa…well, she hadn’t worked that part out yet, but stopping Tessa was what mattered.

Mariah still wasn’t entirely certain there was anything worth saving, but one thing was clear. There was no way she could let Tessa leave. Not like this. Not now. Maybe not ever.


	2. Maybe I made a mistake

In front of the coffeehouse, Mariah rushed out the door to find an utterly devastating sight. She watched as Tessa steadied herself on the back of a nearby bench and sobbed uncontrollably, puffs of frosty breath emitting every few seconds. The soft glow of a street lamp illuminated Tessa, who was crumbling right before Mariah’s very eyes. She’d never seen her so upset. So shattered. So completely destroyed.

“Tessa,” Mariah said soothingly. She reached out to touch her on the shoulder, but Tessa recoiled in surprise and embarrassment.

“It’s fine…I’m fine. I have to go.” Tessa was quickly on the move, but Mariah was right behind her.

“Wait, let’s talk for a minute."

“There’s nothing left to talk about. You’re right. I can’t be the person you need me to be.”

“Hang on, please let—”

“Just stop, Mariah. I’m a big girl. I don’t want your pity, so just go find Sharon and tell her the good news,” Tessa said, rummaging for keys in her purse and darting toward her car.

“Wait! Please wait, okay? Maybe I made a mistake.”

“The only mistake was me coming back here. Me thinking I could be happy with someone I loved or even happy at all! _I’m_ the mistake, Mariah.” A spiraling Tessa pointed at herself dramatically. “And now I’m _your_ mistake. I should’ve stayed in Canada and saved us both a lot of heartache.”

As she approached her vehicle, Tessa fumbled with her keys and dropped them with a clank on the asphalt. She picked them up and promptly dropped them again. After scooping them up once more, she managed to hit the car alarm button instead of unlocking it. Tessa was a walking disaster, and Mariah felt horrible about it. She knew it was her fault that Tessa was spinning out.

As a shaky Tessa turned the alarm off and flung open her car door, Mariah decided to intervene.

“No,” Mariah said forcefully, slamming the door shut.

“Just let me go!” Tessa shouted, opening it again.

“I can’t let you drive like this. Do you have a death wish?! It’s not safe!” Mariah snatched the keys from Tessa’s cold fingers and hurled them across the parking lot.

“What do you want from me?!” Tessa yelled. She stepped toward the back of the car and threw her hands up in surrender. “I just want to go home and cry, okay? That’s what you do when you screw up the best thing that’s ever happened to you. When you lose someone you thought was your soul mate. Someone you have _no idea_ how to live without. You get to be devastated about it. You get to fall the hell apart! So _please_ let me do that. I just need to be sad right now, and I need to do it alone.”

“But I don’t want you to be alone.”

“So you’ve said,” Tessa snapped. “But you broke up with me, so what did you expect?”

“I—I don’t know,” a flustered Mariah blurted out. This wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. “Just please don’t leave town.”

“Why shouldn’t I? Am I supposed to stay here, where I can’t find a job and get glared at like I’m an ax murderer everywhere I go? Am I supposed to just sit back and watch you move on with someone else? Do you know what that’ll do to me, Mariah? It’ll kill me! I’ll die right in front of you! Is that what you want?”

“Of course not.”

“Then let this be the end of it. We need a clean break. Don’t make this hurt any more than it already does,” Tessa pleaded, her hostile tone dissolving into a sorrowful one. She turned away and let herself cry again, the only sound in an otherwise silent night.

Mariah just stood there speechless, watching and listening to Tessa weep. She wasn’t sure what she thought Tessa’s reaction to their split would be, but this wasn’t it. A few seconds later, Mariah observed helplessly as Tessa brushed past her to retrieve her keys. That’s when a car appeared out of nowhere and barreled toward Tessa without braking.

“Tessa! Stop!” Mariah lunged forward, grabbed a handful of Tessa’s coat and pulled as hard as she could. Tessa barely avoided becoming roadkill and smashed chest-first into Mariah, nearly knocking her over in the process. The horn blared when the car sped past behind them, blowing frigid air and dead winter leaves along with it.

As a panting Mariah held on to Tessa for dear life, she studied her for a minute. For the first time in a while, she just took Tessa in. Mariah inhaled the scent of Tessa’s vanilla-apricot shampoo…felt Tessa’s wild heartbeat racing against her…saw tears roll down mascara-stained cheeks…

Mariah couldn’t help wanting to kiss those tears away. She now felt nothing but compassion for this crushed soul before her. Mariah was sick of being angry or disappointed or whatever else she’d been feeling for weeks. It was exhausting. Why was she doing this to herself? In that moment, she realized she’d forgotten all the good stuff – all the wonderful little things about Tessa that she loved so much.

But now Mariah remembered. She remembered how Tessa had taken care of her when she was running a fever. She remembered how Tessa would stick love notes on her windshield just because. She remembered how Tessa would sing to her plants…how she made the world’s worst French toast…how she would randomly burst into laughter over something that happened months ago… She remembered how Tessa was just the most adorable human in general.

Mariah told Kyle she was afraid no one else would love her, but that wasn’t true. Not really. Mariah was afraid of losing this woman she loved so completely and who loved her so completely in return. She was scared to death she’d never see Tessa again because the truth was…she didn’t want to be loved by someone else. Mariah wanted to be loved by _Tessa_. She needed Tessa, and she knew that now.

So Mariah took what she wanted and needed. She slipped her hands through Tessa’s dark locks with urgency and crashed into her lips just as quickly. The last time they’d had a proper kiss was back when Mariah first moved in, so they were beyond ready.

Tessa tangled gentle fingers into Mariah’s hair and matched her efforts.  She let herself melt into this…let herself melt into Mariah. The kiss was messy and unbelievably intense, like everything they’d bottled up was exploding into soft lips that collided over and over.

“Please don’t go,” Mariah whispered when she finally came up for air. She stayed close to Tessa, eyes still shut and faces just barely brushing. “Forget what I said before. I don’t want to break up.”

“But you can’t trust me.” Tessa leaned back to get Mariah’s attention.

“I trust that I love you. I trust that you love me. And right now, that’s enough. The rest will come later. We’ll figure it out, okay?”

“No…no, you were right. About all of it. I can’t make you happy.”

“Yes, you can. You do. You make me happier than I’ve ever been. I just lost sight of that for a while.”

“But I’m broken, Mariah,” Tessa said, struggling to hold back a sob. “I can’t fix me, and you can’t either. And you shouldn’t have to. You should find someone else.”

“You’re not broken. You’re human. And I don’t want someone else. I only want _you_. I need you, Tessa. I love you. Please...”

Tessa searched in Mariah’s eyes and found sincerity. The sincerity she needed to hang on. They both had to find out if this was still real, and their five-minute breakup had accomplished that.

Tessa let her face sink into Mariah’s coat, drenching it in tears she somehow had more of. She clutched Mariah as tight as she could, worried this was some forgiveness mirage that would vanish any second now. “I never meant to hurt you. Or them. I was just so scared. I’m always so scared.”

“I know.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I know that, too.”

“Do you really still love me?” Tessa asked, lifting herself up to meet Mariah’s sympathetic gaze.

“More than anything,” Mariah said, tucking a strand of hair behind Tessa’s ear.

Tessa drew Mariah impossibly closer and grasped the back of her head, as she often did in her incomparable hugs. “I love you so much. I thought I lost you. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you either. So let’s just put breaking up on the list of things we tried and didn’t like. I know I didn’t care for it personally.”

 “I definitely wasn’t a fan. Zero stars,” Tessa said, loosening her grip on Mariah with a smile.

“Another one of my terrible ideas,” Mariah admitted. “Like that time I thought I could make my own bath bombs.”

“And you flooded the entire upstairs hallway of the cottage with foam.”

“Which is why Sharon banned any and all Pinterest projects under her roof.”

Tessa let out hearty laugh, partly from the joke and partly in relief over their reunion. “I missed this. I missed _you_.” She took Mariah’s hands to swing them playfully.

“I missed you, too. And your laugh,” Mariah said, beaming at her back-on girlfriend.

“So…we’re okay?”

“We’re okay.”

“I’m sorry for blindsiding you. With all the lies and everything, I can’t imagine how you must’ve felt. I’ll do better. I promise I won’t lie to you again.”

Mariah knew that promise would likely be broken, but she also knew Tessa didn’t wake up in the morning and set out to harm anyone. Tessa would inevitably lie again because she was still learning, growing, changing… But most importantly, she was trying.

Mariah resolved to respond with kindness and patience next time. Tessa just needed to know someone wouldn’t give up on her, and Mariah wanted to be that person. The one who helped Tessa learn from her mistakes instead of punishing her for terrified acts of desperation.

“If you ever get overwhelmed by something, please come to me and we’ll face it together. I know you’re used to doing it on your own, but we have to be a team. You and me. Me and you. _Us._ All right?”

Tessa nodded with tears welling up again. “I’m glad there’s still an ‘us.’ I thought I was going home to cry into a pint of Belgian chocolate Haagen-Dazs tonight.”

“Hey! That’s mine! I just bought it yesterday.”

“No, no. See I think there’s some unwritten law that when you get dumped, you get dibs on your ex’s ice cream.”

“Well, you’re not my ex anymore, so you forfeit,” Mariah said with a smirk.

“Ah, but I was for like what…five minutes? So that means I get to see what damage I can do your pint in that amount of time.”

“Where are you getting these arbitrary breakup rules?” Mariah asked, grinning from ear to ear. “Are you an expert on getting dumped or something?”

Tessa expression turned slightly bashful. “No. I always broke things off before it got serious. Well, Noah dumped me, but that was different for obvious reasons. But you, Mariah…you mean everything to me. Sometimes I just look at you and…” Tessa took a long pause, trying to describe a fraction of what she felt for her. She eventually chuckled, unable to do it. “Sorry, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.”

“I do,” Mariah said. She pulled Tessa in for another kiss, gentle and sweet. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. And I don’t know why we’ve been talking about ice cream when I’m already freezing. You wanna stop being mushy idiots and get out of the cold?”

Mariah was suddenly very aware of the icy temp, but her heart felt like it could keep her warm forever. She didn’t know exactly what her future would look like, but she knew couldn’t live without Tessa in it. There were so many things Mariah wanted to do and experience with Tessa, but for now, she was content with just one.

“Let’s go home.”


End file.
